This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Roger, a customer of our CubeSmart store in the Bronx, for sharing his story with us.
From his office above the Bartow Avenue Bronx store, Roger Disla attends to the hair care needs of thousands of people, overseeing a retail operation with a presence on Amazon, eBay, Wal-Mart and Groupon.
Roger has been at this location for about five years. He likes the friendly feel of the place and the ease of the working environment. “The customer service seems very optimal in comparison to other competitors. The people here are nicer. They seem more professional and they really help you out with whatever you need.”
In addition to the office space, Roger’s company maintains a storage space for supplies—shelves of professional hair care products from dozens of brands that include Paul Mitchell, Redken, Matrix, Purology and Kerastase. The company, which also sells wholesale to beauty supply stores across the New York metro area, is now creating its own line of product as well.
“I’m helping them out with that, making a website, distributing the products across all of our platforms and you know, hoping to develop some marketing strategies to generate some sales,” Roger says.
It’s been an unexpected journey for Roger, who knew nothing about the world of beauty until he began this work. It all started after he graduated from the New York City College of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in computer systems and started selling his books on Amazon. “I did an internship with my current employer, packing. I needed a job, to be honest. You know from there it was like, ‘do you know how to sell online on Amazon?’ I’m like, ‘actually I do know.’ My boss gave me all these responsibilities and I just started learning, learning, learning, taking courses, so now I am basically the head of the department.”
Originally from the Dominican Republic and a Bronx resident since the age of 10, Roger lives on his own nearby. When he’s not working he’s watching anime with friends or traveling with his current girlfriend. “I’ve been to Barcelona, Punta Cana, Vegas three times… don’t ask why. I just like the experience. I’ve been to Montreal, Toronto. I have a list of other places I want to go to.” Next up is a trip to Cuba in July. Given that there’s no break for online retail operations, he plans to manage his sales accounts remotely from his laptop.
Someday Roger intends to even create his own products and sell them online, and this experience will serve him well. And the guy who was once oblivious to haircare recently started using Devacurl. “I’m trying to get my curls perfect for summer.”
We’d love to hear how self storage has positively impacted your life. Share your #HumansofSelfStorage story in the comments.
